Parents, carers and schools

A survey was conducted between September 2006 and February 2007 to evaluate how schools involved parents and carers in the education of children and young people and how effective this involvement was. All the schools in the survey valued parents’ and carers’ involvement, but the best schools made them active partners. The best schools demonstrated versatility, flexibility and determination in their efforts to engage with parents and carers.

Age group: All Published: July 2007 Reference no: 070018

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 www.ofsted.gov.uk Published July 2007 Reference no. 070018 © Crown Copyright 2007

Contents

Executive summary 4 Key findings 5 Recommendations 6 Enjoying school and making progress 6 Helping children learn 9 Teaching and learning 9 Academic support and guidance 11 Understanding and supporting the curriculum 12 How schools make a difference 13 Leaders and managers 13 Monitoring, evaluation and planning 13 Improving parental involvement in schools 14 Involving parents and carers in the school’s decisions 15 Notes 15 Further information 16 Publications 16 Websites 16 Annex: Schools involved in the survey 18 Schools that took part in the telephone survey 18 Schools visited for this survey 18

Executive summary

A survey was conducted between September 2006 and February 2007 to evaluate the extent to which schools involved parents and carers in the education of children and young people and how effective this was.

Primary and secondary schools of different sizes from rural and urban settings in the south of England were selected for the survey, representing a range of social and economic contexts. Research was conducted in two stages: a telephone survey of 13 primary schools and 14 secondary schools, including four special schools, provided interim findings. These contributed to the methodology and sharpened the questions for the inspection of a further 15 primary schools including one special school and 10 secondary schools, including two special schools.

Of the 25 schools inspected, seven were outstanding, 15 good and three satisfactory in involving parents and carers effectively in pupils’ education. There were successful schools in all phases and across the range of social and economic contexts. The best schools involved parents and carers as one of their explicit aims. Senior leaders and managers promoted involvement vigorously and everyone in the school was committed to it. All the schools in the survey valued parents’ and carers’ involvement, but the best schools made them active partners. Some schools paid insufficient attention to the particular areas in which parents and carers could have the most impact.

The quality and commitment of leaders and managers were the key elements of success. Practice in the best schools was characterised by versatility, flexibility and determination. These schools identified precisely how the parents could contribute, evaluated the impact of initiatives and, if they had not worked, changed the way in which they promoted them until they did work. Other schools did not evaluate the impact of parental involvement precisely enough.

Schools were good at telling parents about subjects, examination requirements and subject choices. Parents appreciated this, but reported that they rarely had sufficient guidance on how to help their children to learn more effectively. Schools were good at working effectively with particular groups of parents, particularly those with children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. However, they did not always recognise that their success with particular groups could be replicated across the whole school community.

Good induction arrangements for pupils were essential to engaging parents successfully in their children’s learning. Induction in the best schools did not merely ease transition into school; it also established a working partnership with families, setting the pattern for a long-term productive relationship.

Schools which actively encouraged the involvement of grandparents and other members of the extended family noticed significant improvements in children’s

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attitudes and achievement. We recommend that schools seek ways to tap this important source of support.

In the schools surveyed, parents and carers made an important contribution to the pupils’ personal development through clubs and social events. In the best cases, these were linked to the curriculum and, wherever possible, had the aim of improving pupils’ learning and achievement.

Schools often said during the survey that they wanted more information about how other schools involved parents and carers successfully and how to judge the impact of their actions on achievement. We recommend that local authorities provide support for schools in these respects. Key findings

„ All the schools recognised the value of working with parents and carers, but some paid insufficient attention to identifying which areas would benefit most from their involvement and how to evaluate the impact. Schools wanted more information and advice about how successful schools achieved their aims and how to judge the impact of their actions. „ Schools which relied on a narrow range of methods of communication and where timescales for contact were infrequent or irregular limited parents’ and carers’ confidence in the school. „ The schools were good at giving academic information to parents and carers about the curriculum, examinations and coursework requirements. Only a few gave sufficient guidance about what they should do to support their child’s learning. „ Parents and carers valued regular meetings to discuss their child’s progress and targets for improvement. They found meetings less helpful when schools informed them of the targets without explaining how they could help their children to achieve them. „ In some schools, parents and carers contributed well to the children’s learning by sharing their expertise and interests in the classroom. This depended on the school finding out about parents’ and carers’ skills and interests and making it possible for them to contribute. Parents and carers who took part gained valuable insights into learning. „ Welcoming the extended family into schools is becoming increasingly important. Some schools reached out to grandparents who often played a significant role in children’s lives and learning outside school. „ All the schools in the survey with families from ethnic minority backgrounds successfully involved them in their children’s learning. Schools used interpreters and translators well, welcomed the families into the school community and worked with community representatives to reach all the families.

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„ Parents and carers of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities were more closely involved than those of other groups of pupils. In the best schools, successful work with these families was used as a model for improving parental involvement across the whole school. Recommendations

Local authorities should:

„ help schools to disseminate examples of effective strategies and purposes in working with parents and carers „ support schools in monitoring and evaluating the impact of parents’ and carers’ involvement on learning and development.

Schools should:

„ identify precisely the areas of their work which would benefit most from parents’ and carers’ involvement „ use a range of appropriate and flexible methods to communicate with parents and carers in timely ways „ support all parents and carers to help their children to learn by complementing information about what is happening in school with clear guidance about providing support at home „ involve parents, carers and pupils in setting targets and give practical guidance on how parents and carers can help their child to make better progress „ identify parents’ and carers’ skills and interests so that they can be used to improve learning „ involve the extended family in pupils’ education „ extend successful practices developed for particular groups of pupils across the whole school „ monitor and evaluate the impact of parental involvement on raising pupils’ achievement. Enjoying school and making progress

1. All the schools in the survey recognised how important it was to establish good relationships with parents and carers when children started school. The schools which did this most successfully did not use their arrangements simply to ease transition between home and school but also to inspire a sense of schools and families working together to benefit the children’s education. Parents and carers invariably spoke positively about the meetings which primary and secondary schools arranged before the school year started and how they established points of contact. As well as meetings at school, primary schools also offered home visits to more vulnerable groups of pupils; in some cases, they offered these to all families.

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2. These first contacts established trust and a sense of collaboration. All the schools stressed the importance of the parents’ and carers’ contribution. Primary schools made sure that parents and carers felt welcome in their child’s classroom from the first day and established routines to settle the children at school in the morning. The best teachers quickly set up ways to involve parents and carers in learning – in the classroom and at home. They encouraged parents and carers to talk about their children’s work with them in the classroom, gave advice on helping at home with reading and mathematics, and explained how to use reading diaries and notebooks for daily two-way communication.

3. Children particularly valued their parents’ and carers’ presence in school. All the children interviewed during the survey spoke enthusiastically about this. One said, ‘My mum helps me with spellings and dad helps me with reading. I think I’m getting better!’ Another was pleased with the way in which he had encouraged his father to come into school to help and said, ‘I didn’t think my dad would come in to help, but I helped him to set up all the microscopes.’ Children were proud of their family’s involvement. One said, ‘I love it when my mum comes in. She makes the school look pretty. These children are looking at the plants my mum has planted.’

4. All the schools in the survey were particularly good at working with the parents and carers of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Contact with these families usually began at least a year before the children started at the school. Schools created closer links with the parents and carers of these pupils than with those of other children. In the best schools, however, the clear advantages of this close contact permeated the whole school. For instance, the inclusive culture of a secondary school with a unit for pupils with physical impairment and another for pupils with moderate learning difficulties improved collaboration with all parents and carers.

5. Three schools in the survey worked particularly closely with other family members. Two of these had recognised the importance of involving grandparents and the value of their contribution; they also recognised the importance of extended family in a community in which an increasing number of parents and carers found it difficult to come to school because of work commitments and the demands of younger children. As well as contributing directly to the curriculum, in history for example, grandparents had a positive influence on pupils’ behaviour, motivation and achievement. This was particularly noticeable in one school in which grandparents were learning about modern technology and helping the children with literacy. One of the secondary schools visited also recognised how extended families in minority ethnic communities could contribute significantly, and engaged older siblings and grandparents as translators, mentors and role models for pupils.

6. Use of interpreters was common. Four of the schools translated their documents for parents and carers. Three of these translated key documents;

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the fourth school translated almost every communication to parents. Receiving communications in their home language increased parents’ and carers’ confidence in offering their skills and helping in the classroom. It also helped them to understand the school’s expectations, so that they could monitor their children’s progress more effectively. In the best examples of practice, schools organised events for particular sections of the community. This helped the families to value education and become involved in the life of the school, with a positive impact on the pupils’ enjoyment and achievement.

7. Nine of the survey schools responded particularly effectively to the specific needs of families from diverse ethnic backgrounds and involved them successfully in their children’s learning. The survey found very good examples of parents and carers giving presentations on aspects of history, geography and religious education which contributed significantly to all pupils’ education.

8. One of the secondary schools understood particularly well the importance of reaching out to communities to improve school attendance.

Working with the community to improve school attendance

The below-average attendance of some pupils in an inner-city comprehensive school prompted the school to work with the local mosque to encourage families to make sure that their children attended regularly. The school and the mosque promoted regular attendance via community radio, Friday prayers, parents’ tea gatherings with the Imam, supportive home visits and prizes for good attendance. As a result, the parents understood better what the school offered and the seriously negative impact of absence. Attendance improved significantly.

9. Managing behaviour successfully almost always involved timely communication with families. Clear communication of policies and procedures gave parents and carers confidence in the school. The best schools made sure that parents and carers were involved in developing and updating policies. When difficult situations arose, the schools kept parents and carers well informed about how concerns they had raised were being handled. The parents and carers of pupils who had misbehaved also reported that they had more confidence in the school when the consequences of poor behaviour were fully explained. It was helpful if the school offered to meet the parents or carers and provided support to improve the child’s behaviour in the future. As in other areas, having a named contact was important in developing confidence in procedures and establishing a relationship. One of the secondary schools had created a post for a head of year who made immediate contact with parents and carers, often using text messaging.

10. Although schools valued the involvement of parents and carers and believed that it had a positive impact on standards, only three of the 25 schools had tried to analyse the impact on pupils’ progress. However, pupils’ achievement

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had clearly improved in the schools where the impact of parental involvement was outstanding. Two secondary schools had improved their examination results markedly in 2006. One of the secondary schools had used a programme that told parents and carers of Key Stage 3 pupils about ways to help their children do better and provided good access, through the school’s website, to preparation materials for the national tests. The school judged this to be a factor in improving results. Another had put in place appropriate intervention strategies, in conjunction with the London Challenge programme, and had increased the number of pupils gaining five or more A* – C GCSE grades.1 Establishing a Somalian parents’ group in another secondary school in 2005 had a positive impact on pupils’ achievement at Key Stage 3 and on pupils’ behaviour at Key Stage 4. Helping children learn Teaching and learning

11. All the primary schools in the survey encouraged parents and carers to come into the Nursery and Reception classes at the beginning of the day, with short- and long-term benefits. This helped the children to settle and eased the transition from home to school. In the best practice, teachers used this time to strengthen the bonds between learning at home and school and helped children, parents and carers to see school as an integral part of their lives, rather than as a separate place in which they were taught.

Involving parents and carers in the Reception class at the start of the day

Parents and carers of children in the Reception class joined them for the first ten minutes of each day. The emphasis was on the children showing the work that they had done the previous day and discussing it. Parents and carers gained an insight into their child’s development and the children developed a sense of their education being part of normal family life. Teachers, parents and carers also had the opportunity to discuss any concerns and teachers were able to give guidance on how to help their child with specific needs at home. Parents, carers and children said that they particularly valued this time together. Parents and carers spoke enthusiastically about what they had learned about their children’s progress, how the children were taught and how they could help them.

1 London Challenge is a five-year partnership between the government, schools and boroughs in London to raise standards in the capital’s secondary schools.Details are available at: www.dfes.gov.uk/londonchallenge/

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12. Only one school in the survey extended this practice beyond the Nursery and Reception classes. This improved the children’s achievement and prompted parents to talk regularly to their child’s teacher about progress.

Involving parents and carers in all the classrooms at the start of the day

Throughout one infant school, parents and carers joined their children in classrooms at the start of the day, sometimes staying on for the first teaching session. This well established practice led to a close relationship between home and school which helped parents to understand their child’s progress. Every classroom had a notice board for parents with details of the topics being taught and suggestions about how parents could contribute.

13. Schools with the best practice ensured that parents and carers could contribute in many different ways, including helping with administrative and practical tasks, as well as with teaching and learning. The impact of parental contributions to learning was significant in schools which identified the particular knowledge or expertise which parents and carers could share with children. This was much more common in primary than in secondary schools.

Parents and carers using their skills and knowledge in teaching and learning

In one rural primary school, a father of one of the older pupils was a keen Egyptologist. He was invited to talk to the pupils about his findings to inspire them to write a report. The teacher briefed him well and made the expectations for the session clear to pupils. The parent’s excellent subject knowledge and carefully chosen artefacts contributed to a very interesting, relevant and enjoyable lesson.

In an urban infant and nursery school, a mother used her professional knowledge of film-making to help the pupils to produce video diaries with digital cameras. The pupils gained immensely from her expertise and the high quality of the sessions.

In a rural primary school, the pupils spoke enthusiastically about a series of talks by parents, recounting details of parental presentations on India, Africa, cycling, dentistry, birds of prey, the pig’s heart and reflexology.

14. Parents and carers said that working in the classroom helped them to understand more clearly how children learn and how they could help their child. Sixteen schools in the survey invited parents and carers into classrooms. Twelve of these were primary schools where parents and carers helped younger children with reading. The good use of reading diaries sustained important communication between home and the classroom.

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15. In five schools in the survey, parents and pupils worked together on family learning projects. Some parents were able to complete training in basic skills, progress to courses at college and go on to gain further accreditation, thus reinforcing for pupils that learning was a life-long process. In some cases, parents who came into school initially as volunteers went on to gain qualifications and joined the staff. Parents and children benefited from this, giving them a sense of personal pride, as well as improving their appreciation of the value of education and their confidence in their own potential for learning. Academic support and guidance

16. All the schools in the survey held meetings for parents and carers to discuss their child’s progress. High expectations for attendance, the amount of notice given and prior consultation with parents and carers regarding the timing contributed to the success of such meetings. Attendance rates improved when schools were persistent in following up those who did not attend and when alternative appointments were offered. Schools which analysed which parents and carers had not attended and identified particular groups for later follow-up were more successful at involving all parents and carers in their child’s education.

17. The secondary schools were, typically, meeting parents and carers at least twice a year. Seven of the ten schools had moved away from holding subject meetings with parents. They invited parents and carers to meet the form tutor, who had information about their child’s overall progress, and the meetings concentrated on setting targets for achievement across the whole curriculum. Parents and carers valued these meetings, particularly when their child was also present. However, they had more confidence in being able to give their child specific help when schools which held the meetings with form tutors also retained subject meetings at different times in the year.

18. Target-setting was more effective when schools consulted pupils and their parents or carers and gave them the chance to contribute. Many parents and carers felt frustrated when they believed that schools merely informed them of the targets but did not give them sufficient guidance on how to help their child meet them. They said that they had more confidence in the information and in being able to help their child when teachers concentrated on specific and individual learning targets and explained them.

19. Some schools in the survey provided the annual written report for parents and carers at the end of the school year. Parents and carers said that these came too late to make a difference. One primary school had decided to produce a short report three times a year, about four weeks after the term started, a decision which parents welcomed. Reports which were accompanied by a questionnaire stimulated informed discussion and the communication of any concerns or ideas, thus establishing a closer working relationship.

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Understanding and supporting the curriculum

20. All the schools in the survey were good at informing parents and carers about the curriculum, examination requirements and coursework through meetings, newsletters, information leaflets and websites. Fewer schools, however, showed parents and carers how they might contribute to their child’s progress. One primary school overcame this through its outstanding work in developing its website.

Using the school website to give guidance to parents and carers about helping their children with homework

The school allocated a specific area for parents and carers on its website to help them to support their children. The pupils produced their own material to explain current methods in mathematics and aspects of literacy to enable parents and carers to help with homework more effectively. Parents, carers and children in the school reported that this information significantly helped the parents to support their children with homework.

21. Detailed and regular curriculum newsletters and written descriptions of secondary school courses were a positive feature of all but four schools in the survey. Parents and carers welcomed advance information about the topics to be covered, approaches to learning and the dates of any special events, enabling them to plan more effectively to support their child.

22. Parents and carers were more likely to be engaged when they saw that the curriculum was relevant to their children and their backgrounds. For example, one school ensured that parents and carers participated in the Black History Month celebrations and another school for boys involved parents in ‘Kids and Carers’ Saturday football’; a regular event that encouraged families to have fun together.

23. In seven schools in the survey, parents and carers ran before- and after-school clubs including homework clubs and workshops, offering an extended curriculum to many pupils. Parents’ and carers’ involvement in clubs was an important, often crucial, element of the curriculum in successful schools. In the best practice, these events were linked to curriculum subjects, such as a link between the gardening club and topics in science and geography.

24. In six of the survey schools, parents and carers were involved in planning and attending school trips, linked to the curriculum. Although most schools in the survey did not involve parents and carers in trips beyond using them as an extra pair of hands, one secondary school ensured that parents and carers knew about the value of its visits programme through a programme of review meetings.

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Involving parents and carers in the review of school trips

The school held a meeting for parents and carers after every school trip. At these, the pupils gave a presentation to describe where they had been and what they had gained from the experience. Parents and carers appreciated these events, enabling them to see the value of the school’s work with their children. The pupils said that preparing the presentations helped them to see the real value of the excursions and clarify what they had learned. How schools make a difference Leaders and managers

25. In all the schools in the survey, very good parental and carer involvement was associated with high quality and committed school leaders and managers. Outstanding practice was found in primary, secondary and special schools of all sizes and in a range of social circumstances. No particular type of school was more likely to be successful than any other.

26. A noticeable feature of the best practice was leaders who maintained a strong inclusive ethos that permeated the school and engaged the commitment of all staff. They established a culture which was respectful, welcoming and responsive to parents and carers. This was noticeable in the way that all staff listened to parents and carers and responded to their queries, concerns and suggestions from the moment they arrived. During the survey, one parent said, ‘It’s very easy on my part to be involved in an effective partnership with the school. The staff all display such positive relationships with the children and provide excellent role models for all the other adults. The welcoming atmosphere generated by the headteacher is a key element of success. Parents believe that they truly belong to a cohesive and exciting school community.’

27. The best schools were flexible, constantly trying to reach out to parents and carers in different ways. They worked hard to communicate effectively through newsletters, telephone, text messages, email, websites, planners and diaries, all used to good effect. For parents and carers, confidence in a one-to-one relationship with the school, by whatever means possible, was the key factor. They had less confidence in the schools which relied on a narrow range of communications and where the timing was infrequent or irregular. Monitoring, evaluation and planning

28. On the whole, schools judged the success of their initiatives to involve parents and carers by the amount of involvement rather than its impact. Only three schools directly monitored and evaluated the impact of involvement on pupils’ achievement and standards. These schools established where parental help could benefit the pupils most, planned how to involve parents and carers, evaluated the impact and adjusted the plans regularly.

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An example of outstanding planning to involve parents and carers

Involving parents and carers featured as a separate section in the development plan of a rural primary school. The school identified specific areas where involvement might benefit the pupils. These included working in classrooms to raise standards of literacy and numeracy; inviting parents and carers to give presentations to the pupils that supported aspects of the curriculum; and contributing to their personal development by participating in out-of-school activities. The plan included details of how the school would provide information for all parents and carers about the methods used to teach mathematics and how parents and carers could support reading. It also included strategies for identifying parents’ and carers’ particular skills and interests and encouraging them to take part in activities. These areas were monitored and evaluated throughout the year by considering the impact on the pupils’ education and by asking parents and carers for their views. Improving parental involvement in schools

29. Versatility, flexibility and determination were crucial in implementing initiatives successfully to involve and engage parents and carers in their children’s learning. If initiatives did not work, the schools which involved parents and carers best identified the reasons and changed direction until their aims were achieved. They did not blame parents or carers or make excuses for their actions failing, but persevered by different routes. Schools which were less successful were too easily dispirited by disappointing responses, and they failed to overcome early setbacks.

Versatility, flexibility and determination

A large urban infant school decided to offer parents and carers the opportunity to come to meetings after school to learn about a range of relevant topics, such as providing a healthy diet and helping children with their homework. Initial attendance was disappointing and declined further. The school was convinced that children and families would benefit from the programme and asked parents why they had not attended. The school learnt that many parents and carers had younger children and could not arrange childcare for them. The school then renamed the initiative ‘Stay and Play’ and arranged for childcare in the same venue, turning the event into a family occasion. Attendance improved, enabling the school to provide an appropriate range of interesting activities for the parents and carers while their children stayed and played.

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Involving parents and carers in the school’s decisions

30. All the schools in the survey regularly sought parents’ and carers’ views about provision and invited them to suggest improvements. At its best, this practice was well established. Data were analysed annually and compared with the findings from previous years. Schools communicated the parents’ and carers’ views, an explanation of the school’s response to their suggestions, and plans for improvement.

31. The importance of parent governors was particularly noticeable in the outstanding schools. These schools had a full complement of parent governors who were closely involved in appropriate challenge and support. One special school linked the parent governors to the school’s structure of meetings and received regular updates from them. Although the survey found examples of schools which successfully recruited governors representing the range of ethnic and social diversity within the school, this was not widespread. Notes

The survey was conducted between September 2006 and February 2007 by six of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and two Additional Inspectors. It aimed to answer the following questions:

„ To what degree are parents and carers involved in pupils’ education? „ How do schools seek to improve the involvement of all parents and particular groups of parents? „ What is the impact of parental involvement on improving provision and outcomes for children, particularly their enjoyment and achievement? „ Which aspects of parental involvement are most successful? „ How do schools measure, monitor and evaluate parental involvement? „ Are there examples of effective practice which can be disseminated?

The schools were selected to represent a range of rural and urban settings and different socio-economic groups. The choice of schools was entirely random in terms of the effectiveness of parental involvement. A telephone survey of 13 primary schools and 14 secondary schools (including 4 special schools) during September and October 2006 used a standard questionnaire to gather information about parents’ and carers’ involvement in the education of children and young people. The findings were used to focus the direct inspection of a further 15 primary schools and 10 secondary schools, including three special schools, in the south of England.

During the visits to schools, inspectors held discussions with headteachers, school managers, teachers and other staff. They interviewed representative groups of parents, carers and pupils and scrutinised a range of documentation. They observed lessons and, when possible, out of school activities.

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Further information Publications

J Bastiani, Working with parents: a whole school approach (ISBN 0700511830), Routledge, 1989. J Bastiani, Taking a few risks: learning from each other – teachers, parents and pupils (ISBN 0901469254), RSA, 1995. J Bastiani, Home-school work in multicultural settings (ISBN 1853464287), David Fulton, 1997. J Bastiani, Parental involvement in children’s learning: a practical framework for the review and development of home-school work, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, 2002. J Bastiani, J McBeath, E McKay & T Dobie, How can parents help their children’s learning? A guide for parents, families and schools, Quality in Education Centre, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, 2002. C Desforges & A Abouchar, The impact of parental involvement, parental support and family education on pupil achievements and adjustment: a literature review (Research report 433), DfES, 2003. CEDC, Successful schools: parental involvement in secondary schools, Community Education Development Centre, 1998. DfEE, Schools plus: building learning communities: improving the educational chances of children and young people from disadvantaged areas. (A report from the schools plus policy action team 11) DfEE, 1999. DfEE, Removing the Barriers – raising achievement levels for minority ethnic pupils (Ref. DfEE 0012/2000), 2000. DfES, Aiming high: raising the achievement of ethnic minority pupils (DfES/0183), DfES, 2003. DfES, Involving parents, raising achievement (Ref. PICE/IPRA), DfES, 2003. DfES, 2020 Vision: Report of the teaching and learning in 2020 review group (Ref: 04255-2006DOM-EN), DfES, 2006. DfES, Every parent matters (Ref. LKAW/2007), DfES, 2007. DfES, Every parent matters: helping you help your child (Ref. LKDA/2007), DfES, 2007. J Hallgarten, Parents exist OK!? Issues and visions for parent-school relations, London Institute of Policy Research, 2000. Manchester LEA, Parents and secondary schools: materials, research findings, case studies and resources for secondary schools, Manchester School Improvement Service (MSIS), 2000.

Websites

Every Parent Matters www.teachernet.gov.uk/everyparentmatters

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ParentsCentre - helping you to help your child. www.parentcentre.gov.uk email [email protected]

National Family Learning Network www.familylearningnetwork.com email: [email protected] The Family Reading Campaign www.familyreading.org.uk

National Parent Partnership Network www.parentpartnership.org.uk

Parents as First Teachers www.turnerscourt.org.uk email: [email protected]

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Annex: Schools involved in the survey Schools that took part in the telephone survey

Alverton Community Primary School, Cornwall Ashbury with Compton Beauchamp Church of England (A) Primary School, Oxfordshire Bodmin College, Cornwall Brixham Community College, Torbay Cove Infant School, Hampshire Cranford Community College, Hounslow Dove House School, Hampshire Gospel Oak Primary School, Camden Headley Park Primary, Bristol Kingsdown and Ringwould Church of England Primary School, Kent Langleywood School, Slough Manhood Community College, West Sussex Meadlands Primary School, Richmond upon Thames Oaklands School, Tower Hamlets Richard Alibon Primary School with ARP for Cognitive and Learning Difficulties, Barking and Dagenham Sarah Bonnell School, Newham Shepherds Down Special School, Hampshire Shere Church of England Aided Infant School, Surrey Shillingstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Dorset Stoke Newington School, Hackney Stormont House School, Hackney The St Thomas the Apostle College, Southwark Tunbridge Wells High School, Kent West Turville C of E School, Buckinghamshire Walthamstow Academy, Waltham Forest Whitstone School, Somerset Willow Dene School, Greenwich Schools visited for this survey

Addey and Stanhope School, Lewisham Archbishop Tenison's School, Lambeth Aveling Park School, Waltham Forest Bexhill High School, East Sussex Broadwater Down Primary School, Kent Chevening, St Botolph’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Kent Cookham Dean Church of England Primary School, Windsor and Maidenhead Coombe Boys School, Kingston upon Thames Grangewood School, Hillingdon Hampton Infant School and Nursery, Richmond upon Thames

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Hermitage Primary School, West Berkshire Lifton Community Primary School, Devon Ludlow Infant School, Southampton Meadow High School, Hillingdon Parkwood Primary School, Hackney Raynes Park High School, Merton Ringmer Primary School, East Sussex Shaftesbury High School, Harrow Shaftesbury Park Primary School, Wandsworth Stadhampton Primary School, Oxfordshire St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Hampshire Swanlea School, Tower Hamlets The Commonweal School, Swindon Warwick School for Boys, Waltham Forest Witney Community Primary School, Oxfordshire

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